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vocalist

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Etymology and origin of the English word vocalist

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1613 T. Jackson, Eternall Truth of Scriptures
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European *wekw-
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin vocalis
English vocal
English vocalist

Pronunciation

  • US: /ˈvoʊkəlɪst/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English vocal + -ist,[2][3][4] and in the sense "singer" it was probably influenced by French vocaliste.[3] The Shorter Oxford forms it from the same base as vocalism.[5] The adjective is from Old French vocal and directly from Latin vōcālis (“sounding, sonorous, speaking”), from vōx (“voice”), from Proto-Indo-European *wekw- (“to speak”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A speaker, one who utters words: 1613, in T. Jackson's Eternall Truth of Scriptures.[2] This sense is obsolete,[2][3] and the Shorter Oxford calls it rare.[5]

Semantic evolution

The sense "singer", a vocal musician as opposed to an instrumental performer, is recorded from 1790 in the current OED,[2] by 1817 in Etymonline[3] and since 1826 in Merriam-Webster;[6] OED 1989 had dated it to 1834.[7] The word is now used especially of a singer of jazz or popular music,[2][5] often one who regularly appears with a band or group.[8] The adjective vocalistic, relating to vocal music or musicians, followed in the late 19th century.[5][7]

Timeline

  • 1613 – a speaker (now obsolete).[2]
  • 1790 – a singer.[2]
  • 1817 – a vocal musician, as opposed to an instrumentalist.[3]
  • 1826 – singer, in Merriam-Webster's dating.[6]
  • 1884 – vocalistic.[7]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A singer, especially one who sings jazz or popular music with a band: He toured for years as the group's second vocalist.[8][2][6]
  2. (obsolete, 1613) A speaker.[2][7][5]

Word family

  • vocalistic

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b c d e Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Vocalist.” Etymologically, 31 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/vocalist. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·